Which Southern California cities face water cutbacks on June 1? What we know
About 6 million residents of Southern California will soon be reduced to one-day-a-week watering under sweeping new restrictions driven by severe drought and climate change.
The first-of-its-kind mandatory action from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will take effect June 1 and cover communities from Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties — but not all of them.
The rules will target areas that rely heavily or entirely on the State Water Project, a Northern California water supply that officials say runs the real risk of running dry.
Areas that receive water from the Colorado River and other sources will be spared, at least for now.
According to MWD, all or part of the following cities and communities are dependent on water from the State Water Project and will be affected by the new restrictions:
Agoura Hills
Arcadia
Avocado Heights
Azusa
Baldwin Park
Bassett
Bradbury
Calabasas
Camarillo
Canoga Park
Chatsworth
Chino
Chino Hills
City of Industry
Claremont
Covina
Culver City
Duarte
El Monte
Encino
Fontana
Granada Hills
Hacienda Heights
Irwindale
La Puente
La Verne
Los Angeles
Mission Hills
Monrovia
Montclair
Moorpark
Newbury Park
North Hills
North Hollywood
North Whittier
Northridge
Oak Park
Ontario
Oxnard
Pacific Palisades
Pacoima
Panorama City
Playa del Rey
Playa Vista
Point Mugu NAWC
Port Hueneme
Port Hueneme CBC Base
Porter Ranch
Rancho Cucamonga
Reseda
Rialto
Rosemead
San Gabriel
Sherman Oaks
Simi Valley
Somis
South El Monte
South Pasadena
Spy Glass Hill
Studio City
Sun Valley
Sunland
Sylmar
Tarzana
Temple City
Thousand Oaks
Tujunga
Universal City
Upland
Valinda
Valley Village
Van Nuys
Venice
West Covina
West Hills
West Hollywood
Westlake Village
Whittier
Winnetka
Woodland Hills
"The reality is, this drought has left us without the water supply we need to meet normal demands in these areas," MWD general manager Adel Hagekhalil said. "To make sure we have enough water for their basic human health and safety needs, everyone in these communities must immediately and dramatically reduce their water use."
The affected agencies include: Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Three Valleys Municipal Water District and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
It will fall to each member agency to determine how best to implement the restrictions. Some, such as Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, have already spelled out detailed plans for enforcement and patrol; others, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, are still hammering out the details.
The MWD plans to track agencies’ progress and could fine any that don’t cut back enough.
If vast improvements aren’t immediate and apparent, a full outdoor watering ban could happen in the affected communities as soon as September, Hagekhalil said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.